Here we are, the last day of our six-day devotional! We arrive at the concluding sentence of verse 8: “It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
This last verse promises that not only will our leaves be green but we will even bear fruit! It’s a promise that we will never fail to bear fruit! That is God’s promise to us if we abide in Him.
Fruit in the time of drought would be nothing short of a miracle. When drought comes, trees will naturally concentrate all their resources to just stay alive and keep vital functions going. Fruit is produced produced in times of excess resources and abundant conditions.
We are reminded of God’s promises that we will have life abundant. Read John 10:10. This is not a conditional promise dependent on the economic conditions of the world. God is not referring to any economic or monetary abundance. He is referring to the Spiritual fruit that can be ours in abundance. Read Galatians 5:22-23. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Take a moment to appreciate that in God’s economy, the abundance of this fruit is worth far more than any worldly riches. What do you think about that?
We must recognise that an abundant life in the Spirit is not a promise that is handed out without condition. What do I mean by that? Yes, God gives us unconditional love, but we can only receive His promises if we do our part. Whether this promise is fulfilled or not depends on us! How? Firstly, this promise is dependent on our heart condition towards God. Are we pursuing Him more than the promise of fruit?
How else can our heart condition affect whether this promise is fulfilled? If we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. Notice these conditional statements: IF you abide in Me, you will bear much fruit. IF you open the door, I will come in a dine with you. These “if-then” statements are more than hints for us to do something. God is not passive-aggressively hinting at what we should do and hoping that we get the clue. He makes it very clear and straightforward. They are direct invitations to act in partnership with God.
Days 1 – 3 of our devotional outlined the other conditions that need to be fulfilled: how and where we plant ourselves by the Living Stream. Let’s review the entire centrepiece of our Deeply Rooted devotional again.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
In review, studying God’s character, we’ve put our confidence and trust in God and so we plant ourselves in Christ. We continue to grow and seek nourishment by sending out our roots to drink deeply from God’s word daily. We then trust the process of the continual prep work of Spiritual strengthening and so trust that we can have courage when the troubles come. Our Spiritual lives prosper even in when all around us is dry and dead. We even bear fruit in all seasons! I’ve been so blessed to study these two verses and share this devotional with you. Personally, it is a another Spiritual marker for me in my relationship with our Lord. I sincerely pray that the outflow of my reflections and writing has encouraged you in some way. I’d love to hear from you and learn from you as well. Let’s keep growing and going together!
Siree is co-founder and general manager of the Bangkok Christian Discipleship Center. She is a whole-person health and nutrition coach and speaker.
